KR20220164066A - Chewing gum composition comprising crystalline allulose particles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a chewing gum composition comprising crystalline allulose particles and optionally an aqueous allulose syrup, and the use of allulose to increase the rate of cure of the chewing gum composition.

Description

Chewing gum composition containing crystalline allulose particles

The present invention relates to a chewing gum composition comprising crystalline allulose particles and optionally an aqueous allulose syrup and the use of allulose to increase the rate of cure of the chewing gum composition.

All chewing gums are made from a composition comprising a gum base and crystallized sugars and/or sweeteners. The gum substrate is usually made of one or two elastomers which determine the elasticity of the gum, a wax to lower the softening point, a mineral filler to improve mechanical properties, an antioxidant to protect the gum during manufacture and storage, and a binder. The relative ratio of these components determines the type of gum (chewing gum or balloon gum). The composition may also include various additives such as flavoring agents, dyes, plasticizers, emulsifiers, stabilizers and gelling agents. Usually, sugars and/or sweeteners and additives are mixed with the gum base in a mixing bowl for 15 to 20 minutes. At the end of smelting, the dough reaches a temperature of about 50 °C. It is then extruded into sheets and cut into cores, also called strips or centers. After cooling, the strip or center is held at controlled temperature and humidity for 6 to 48 hours to cure. After the above step, the strip is packed after being wrapped in aluminum packaging to preserve its flavor. The center is coated before being packed in cardboard or plastic packaging.

Currently, unsweetened chewing gum represents a market share of about 90% in most European countries. In terms of their sweetness and low caloric value, polyols occupy first positions in the production of sugar-free chewing gum. Also, compared to sugars such as sucrose and glucose, the lower glycemic index of polyols makes them suitable for diabetes management or weight management. In addition, the well-established dental benefits of using polyols such as xylitol in place of conventional sweeteners such as sucrose (e.g., greater reduction or stop of new cavities, and in some cases, reversal of existing cavities) are the use of polyols as alternative sweeteners. make it desirable for However, a recent literature review of polyols indicates that despite their many advantages, they can cause unpleasant side effects including lower abdominal pain, bloating or even acute, non-infectious, non-inflammatory diarrhea. For the above reasons, some individuals, particularly those with sensitive guts, avoid chewing gums containing polyols.

Thus, sucrose would be most suitable for these individuals. However, sucrose has been shown to cause manufacturing problems. Specifically, conventional sugar-based compositions require a rather long curing time before the gum can be coated without changing its shape or wrapped without adhering to its wrapper. This step thus adds significant cost to the method.

The inventors have now found that D-allulose increases the cure rate of chewing gum compositions compared to sucrose and thus can be used in the manufacture of chewing gum on an industrial scale as an alternative to polyols.

D-allulose, also called D-psicose, has 70% relative sweetness of sucrose, but has a caloric value of only 0.2 Kcal/g. It is the C-3 epimer of D-fructose, belonging to "rare sugars". D-allulose can be produced from D-fructose by the D-tagatose 3-epimerase (DTEase) family of enzymes identified in several microorganisms.

Surprisingly, it was observed that the enhanced kinetics obtained with allulose could not be provided by fructose, despite its high similarity to allulose.

In addition, D-allulose has been shown to have a positive effect in reducing the glycemic response induced by intake of maltose and sucrose (Matsuo T. et al., J. Jpn. Soc. Nutr. Food Sci . 2006; 59:119-121).

Accordingly, the present invention also proves useful in the manufacture of sugar-based chewing gums to increase the rate of hardening while lowering the glycemic index.

It has already been proposed to use allulose, including crystalline allulose, in the production of chewing gum (WO 2014/161977; EP 2 090 180; US 2013/344008). However, they contain allulose particles which are of an unsuitable particle size for most chewing gums. Also, it has not been suggested that allulose itself can improve the cure rate of such compositions compared to similar sucrose-based compositions.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a chewing gum composition comprising crystalline allulose particles and optionally an aqueous allulose syrup, wherein the allulose particles have an average particle size of less than 250 μm.

Also the use of allulose to increase the setting rate of a chewing gum composition, and mixing crystalline allulose particles and optionally an aqueous allulose syrup with a molten gum base and one or more food additives, followed by the absence of said allulose particles. A method of increasing the cure rate of a chewing gum composition comprising the step of refining the mixture to obtain a composition having a higher cure rate compared to the same composition.

The present invention further comprises mixing crystalline allulose particles and optionally an aqueous allulose syrup with a molten gum base and one or more food additives to obtain a chewing gum composition, wherein the allulose particles are 250 A process for producing chewing gum having an average particle size of less than microns.

A chewing gum composition according to the present invention comprises crystalline allulose particles, wherein said allulose particles have an average particle size of less than 250 μm. Preferably, these allulose particles have an average particle size greater than 45 μm.

In the context of this description, "allulose" refers to D-allulose or L-allulose. However, since D-allulose is easier to obtain, it is preferred in the present invention.

The average particle size of the allulose is determined by a laser deflection analyzer such as that available from BECKMAN-COULTER, such as the "LS 230", using instructions for use provided by the supplier. Experimental conditions are determined such that the optical concentration is between 4° and 12°, preferably 8°. Results are calculated as volume percent and expressed in μm.

In a preferred embodiment, at least 90% by weight of the allulose particles, preferably at least 95% by weight, more preferably 100% by weight of the allulose particles pass through a sieve having openings of at most 250 μm, preferably at most 220 μm. selected in such a way that it passes. Sieving can be performed with a sieve shaker. Sieving can be performed on an RX-29 model RO-TAP machine (supplied by W.S. Tyler, USA) equipped with a series of sieves, wherein the lower sieve is a US standard rated sieve N70 (Tyler counterpart 65 mesh, corresponding to 212 μm). )to be.

Crystalline allulose can be prepared as follows.

D-allulose syrup is first obtained by epimerization of D-fructose at C-3 catalyzed by an enzyme of the D-tagatose 3-epimerase family (DTEase, EC 5.1.3.-) . The raw material used for epimerization may be, for example, crystalline fructose having a purity of about 99%. It can be diluted to about 45% with water and magnesium chloride can be added to it prior to enzymatic epimerization. To date, at least five DTEases from different organisms have been characterized and used for D-allulose synthesis. These are commercially available. A putative DTEase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens can also be used, and due to its high substrate specificity for D-allulose, the enzyme is D-allulose 3-epi It was renamed merase (DPEase, EC 5.1.3.-). In one embodiment, the D-allulose 3-epimerase is Pseudomonas cichorii ( Pseudomonas cichorii ) D-tagatose 3-epimerase, Agrobacterium tumefaciens ( Agrobacterium tumefaciens ) D-allul Los 3-epimerase, Clostridium sp ( Clostridium sp ) D-allulose 3-epimerase, Clostridium sindens ( Clostridium scindens ) D-allulose 3-epimerase, Clostridium D-allulose 3-epimerase from Clostridium bolteae , D-allulose 3-epimerase from Ruminococcus sp , and Clostridium 20 cellulolyticum ( Clostridium 20 cellulolyticum ) from D-allulose 3-epimerase. In a preferred embodiment, the parental D-allulose 3-epimerase is from Clostridium cellulolyticum , more specifically from Clostridium cellulolyticum strain H10 (ATCC 35319). of D-allulose 3-epimerase. According to another embodiment, a variant of the parental D-psicose 3-epimerase is used, as described in WO 2015/032761.

The resulting allulose syrup can then be passed through microfiltration to remove any insoluble particles, carbon filtration to remove its color, and then demineralization on an ion exchange column to further remove minerals and other impurities. have. The syrup can then be concentrated using, for example, conventional evaporation equipment. The allulose syrup may be further subjected to a concentration step by chromatography, for example by passing it through a chromatography simulated moving bed (SMB) containing calcium ion exchange resin. The syrup may be further concentrated before crystallization. Crystallization can be performed by cooling the concentrated allulose syrup along the saturation curve. After crystallization, the crystal cake can be recovered by centrifugation and then washed. The resulting allulose crystals may then be dried.

The powdered crystalline allulose may be further subjected to a grinding process in order to reduce its average particle size to less than 250 μm, if the particles below the average particle size are not sufficient. Preferably, the polishing process is carried out by continuous dry mechanical polishing. Various mills are available for this grinding, for example mills equipped with blades or rotors/stators, squirrel cage mills, vibratory, conical or cylindrical sieve mills, hammer mills, and the like.

Due to the specific crystalline allulose particles used, the composition of the present invention reaches at least 90% of its maximum hardness within 8 hours, preferably within 6 hours, and more preferably within 3 hours. The hardness of the gum composition can be measured as described in the following examples.

In addition to the crystalline allulose particles, an aqueous allulose syrup may be included in the composition. Usually, the syrup contains at least 95% allulose on a total syrup dry weight basis. Such an allulose syrup can be prepared according to the method described above after a continuous step prior to crystallization.

Usually, allulose represents 40 to 90% by weight, and preferably 50 to 65% by weight, relative to the total weight of the gum composition, either as crystalline allulose particles or as a mixture of crystalline allulose particles and aqueous allulose syrup. When the composition comprises both crystalline allulose particles and aqueous allulose syrup, the latter preferably represents from 1 to 10% (by dry weight) of the total weight of allulose particles in the composition.

Chewing gum compositions typically include at least one gum substrate. Preferably, the gum base content in the composition according to the present invention varies from 15 to 60% by weight, more preferably from 20 to 40% by weight, and even more preferably from 25 to 35% by weight. Depending on the type of chewing gum being made, any kind of gum base can be used in the composition. It usually contains one or more natural or synthetic polymers, oils, waxes, fillers, plasticizers, emulsifiers, dyes, antioxidants and mixtures thereof.

The composition may further comprise one or more food additives as will now be described.

In particular, mention may be made first of at least one carbohydrate other than allulose, selected from sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose, trehalose and mixtures thereof, preferably from sucrose and/or fructose. Thus, as previously mentioned, the combination of sucrose and allulose makes it possible to reduce the glycemic index of conventional sugar-based chewing gums prepared from the composition.

The composition of the present invention may further comprise hydrogenated starch hydrolysate or hydrogenated glucose syrup, which mainly contains maltitol to improve the plasticity of the composition. These syrups and methods for their preparation are well known. These are described in particular in FR-A-2.654.308 and FR-A-2.459.002. They are usually produced by enzymatic and/or acidic hydrolysis of starch followed by hydrogenation at high temperatures using Raney nickel as catalyst. An example of such a syrup is marketed by ROQUETTE under the trade name Lycasin ^® . The dry weight content of these syrups in the composition may range from 1 to 10%, preferably from 1 to 5% of the total dry weight of the composition.

Apart from the starch hydrolysate, the composition preferably contains less than 5 wt.% sugar alcohol(s). In one embodiment of the present invention, the sugar alcohol(s) further represents less than 5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of allulose. Sugar alcohols are obtained from the reduction of carbohydrates, whereby the carbonyl group (C=O) of a monosaccharide unit is replaced by a CHOH moiety. Examples of sugar alcohols are sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, xylitol, erythritol, isomalt and mixtures thereof. According to a preferred embodiment, the composition preferably comprises mannitol powders having an average diameter of less than 200 μm in an amount greater than 0 and less than 5%, more preferably one having an average diameter of 20 to 90 μm and the other It includes two different types of mannitol powders with average diameters between 100 and 200 μm. An example of mannitol powder is available from ROQUETTE under the trade name Pearlitol ^® . The mannitol powder(s) may represent 1-10% of the total dry weight of the composition.

In addition, the composition according to the present invention preferably contains less than 1.5% glycerin, more preferably 0 to 1% glycerin, and more preferably no glycerin, based on the total weight of the composition.

One or several strong sweetener(s) may be included in the composition. Strong sweeteners are food additives that have a relative sweetness many times higher than sugars, meaning that they can be used in much smaller amounts. They are added to foods to replace the sweetness normally provided by sugars without contributing significantly to available energy. Examples of strong sweeteners are alitame, acesulfame potassium (Ace K), aspartame, advantam, cyclamate, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, steviol glycosides and thaumatin. According to embodiments of the present invention, strong sweeteners, if present, represent less than about 0.008 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight allulose.

Compositions of the present invention may include one or more other food additives such as flavors, dyes, antioxidants and mixtures thereof. Flavoring agents may contain natural and/or synthetic ingredients. These may include, inter alia, mint, orange, lemon, and other fruit or plant flavors, such as apple, strawberry, banana, cherry or fruit mixture flavors. If present, the flavoring agent is used in an appropriate amount that can be readily determined by one skilled in the art, depending on the type of gum base, the amount of gum base, the type of chewing gum and the characteristics of the flavoring agent.

The composition of the present invention can be prepared according to the following method.

During the first step, allulose is mixed with the gum substrate using a smelter comprising, for example, two Z-shaped blades. Usually, the entire process cycle lasts 15 to 20 minutes, and ingredients are added as smelting progresses in the smelter. In order to make the gum substrate malleable, the latter is heated beforehand and during mixing. At the end of smelting, the temperature of the batter is approximately 50°C. The mixing step is followed by an extrusion step under high temperature conditions to obtain a narrower or wider sheet of chewing gum depending on the device used. At this point, a dusting agent such as mannitol particulates or a sintering agent such as silica may be applied to the sheet to reduce tackiness. To reduce the thickness of the sheet obtained then a rolling step is provided. During this step, the sheet successively passes between several pairs of rollers with reduced separation. The rolling step is followed by a final forming/cutting step, which can produce gum strips or tablets.

The tablets thus obtained are used as cores and may be further coated with a coating syrup comprising, for example, one or more sweeteners (carbohydrates and/or sugar alcohols and/or strong sweeteners) and optionally binders, dyes and the like. Alternatively, the gum strips may be packed directly into a wrapper.

The present invention has proven useful in the manufacture of sugar-based chewing gums to increase the rate of cure while lowering the glycemic index.

The invention will be better understood in light of the following examples, which are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Example 1: Manufacture of Chewing Gum

Preparation of 1A-allulose syrup and crystalline allulose powder

First allulose syrup was prepared as follows: crystalline fructose of at least 99% purity was dissolved in water to about 45% dry ingredients. Alternatively, fructose syrup of at least 95% purity may be used as a raw material. The syrup was allowed to react with the epimerase at pH 6.75 and 55.0°C. After 30 hours of reaction, the syrup was collected. The resulting syrup had 25.2% allulose and 74.8% fructose using standard HPLC methods. The syrup was subjected to microfiltration to remove insoluble cellular material of the enzyme, followed by carbon filtration to remove color, and then demineralization on a cation and anion exchange column to further remove minerals and other impurities. The syrup was then concentrated to a dry solids content of about 60% using conventional evaporation equipment. The concentrated allulose syrup was passed through a simulated moving bed chromatography column (SMB) containing calcium form resin. The resulting syrup had an allulose content of about 95%.

A portion of the resulting syrup was evaporated and concentrated to about 77% solids to provide the allulose syrup used in the compositions of the present invention.

The remaining allulose syrup from SMB was further concentrated to 85% dry matter using a conventional evaporator and then fed into a pilot batch cooling crystallizer to produce crystalline allulose. Crystallization conditions were 50°C at the start of crystallization and 20°C for 90 hours. Crystals from the crystallizer were centrifuged at 1700 rpm. The resulting crystals were then dried by increasing the temperature from 25 °C to 90 °C using a fluidized bed for a total period of 4 hours and then cooled to 25 °C.

The crystalline allulose thus obtained was ground using a Universal Mill M20 (IKA, Staufen, Germany) and then sieved to less than 212 μm using a RO-TAP sieving shaker consisting of a series of sieves. The lower sieve is "US standard evaluation sieve" No. It was 70.

Chewing gum comprising 1B-crystalline allulose

Chewing gum was prepared using the composition described below, wherein the allulose powder was prepared as mentioned above:

Sword Equipment ⁽¹⁾ 28.00%

allulose powder 60.60%

Mannitol powder (average diameter: 160 μm) ⁽²⁾ 3.70%

Mannitol powder (average diameter: 50 μm) ⁽³⁾ 0.10%

Diluted to 60% ds Hydrogenated Glucose Syrup ⁽⁴⁾ 4.40%

Strong Sweetener ⁽⁵⁾ 0.20%

flavoring agent 3.00%

⁽¹⁾ Optima ^® (CAFOSA product)

⁽²⁾ Pearlitol ^® 160C (product of ROQUETTE)

⁽³⁾ Pearlitol ^® 50C (product of ROQUETTE)

⁽⁴⁾ Lycasin ^® 80/55 (from ROQUETTE)

⁽⁵⁾ GumSweet ^® (product of SWEETENER SOLUTIONS)

The gum substrate was softened and the allulose and mannitol powders were tempered at about 55° C. for at least 4 hours. The gum base, about 60% allulose powder, mannitol powder and half maltitol syrup were then mixed together at 50° C. in a gum mixer. The intense sweetener, remaining allulose powder, remaining maltitol syrup and flavor were then added successively. The mixing device was stopped and the composition thus obtained was removed therefrom. It was rolled into a 5 mm thick sheet for further evaluation.

Chewing gum comprising 1C-crystalline allulose and allulose syrup

Chewing gum was prepared as described in Example 1A, except that the composition was as described below:

Sword equipment ⁽¹⁾ 28.00%

allulose powder 58.00%

Allulose Syrup 3.50%

Mannitol powder (average diameter: 160 μm) ⁽²⁾ 3.70%

Mannitol powder (average diameter: 50 μm) ⁽³⁾ 0.10%

Hydrogenated glucose syrup diluted to 60% ds ⁽⁴⁾ 3.50%

Strong Sweetener ⁽⁵⁾ 0.20%

flavoring agent 3.00%

⁽¹⁾ Optima® (CAFOSA product)

⁽²⁾ Pearlitol® 160C (from ROQUETTE)

⁽³⁾ Pearlitol® 50C (from ROQUETTE)

⁽⁴⁾ Lycasin ^® 80/55 (from ROQUETTE)

⁽⁵⁾ GumSweet ^® (product of SWEETENER SOLUTIONS)

Example 2: Evaluation of cure rate

TA HD Plus Texture, also supplied by STABLE MICROSYSTEM, with a 4 mm cylindrical probe, a 30 kg load cell and a Peltier control set at 25° C. (supplied by STABLE MICROSYSTEM) to measure the hardness of the chewing gum described in Examples 1B and 1C. Using an analyzer, it was evaluated at 1 h, 2.5 h and 6 h after preparation. One hour after cutting of the 5 mm rolled gum was measured as time zero.

A larger batch of the composition described in Example 1B, designated Composition IB-1, was prepared to evaluate the reproducibility of the experiment. Control compositions 2A (sucrose-based gum) and 2B (fructose-based gum) were also tested in Example 1B, except that allulose was replaced with an equal amount of sucrose and the fructose powder was screened to less than 212 μm, respectively. It was prepared as described in.

The average hardness values obtained after 10 runs were calculated for each time point and expressed as H ₁ , H _2.5 and H _{6 .} For Compositions 1B, 1B-1, 2A and 2C, the cure rate was then calculated using the formula: HR = (H _2.5 - H ₁ )/1.5. For Composition 1C, calculations were made using three points (H ₁ , H _2.5 and H ₆ ) to fit a straight line (y = mx + b), where m represents the slope and represents the cure rate.

The results of these experiments are summarized in the table below.

As is evident from the table above, despite the high similarity between the chemical structures of allulose and fructose, allulose crystalline powder provides a composition with a higher set speed compared to sucrose and even fructose. A slower set speed compared to fructose is obtained when crystalline allulose is mixed with allulose syrup, but an enhanced set speed compared to sucrose is also observed.

Example 3: Evaluation of Total Curing Time

In the experiments described in Example 2, the hardness of the various samples was additionally measured at 120 h and designated as H ₁₂₀ . The average hardness values measured are summarized in the following table.

This example shows that compositions 1B, 1B-1 and 1C according to the present invention reach their maximum hardness in 2.5 hours. This is not the case for the fructose-based composition (Composition 2B) which only reaches greater than 90% of its maximum hardness after 24 hours.

Claims (8)

crystalline allulose particles and optionally an aqueous allulose syrup, wherein the allulose particles have an average particle size greater than 45 μm and less than 250 μm and at least 90% by weight of the allulose particles have an opening of at most 250 μm Passing the chewing gum composition through a sieve. According to claim 1,
A chewing gum composition wherein at least 95%, more preferably 100% by weight, of the allulose particles are passed through a sieve having openings of at most 250 μm, preferably at most 220 μm. According to claim 1 or 2,
A chewing gum composition wherein the allulose represents from 40 to 90% by weight, preferably from 50 to 65% by weight relative to the total weight of the composition. According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A chewing gum composition further comprising at least one carbohydrate other than allulose, selected from sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose, trehalose and mixtures thereof, preferably sucrose and/or fructose. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A chewing gum composition further comprising hydrogenated glucose syrup. Use of crystalline allulose particles having an average particle size of less than 250 μm and optionally aqueous allulose syrup for increasing the rate of setting of a chewing gum composition. Mixing crystalline allulose particles having an average particle size of less than 250 μm and optionally an aqueous allulose syrup with a molten gum base and one or more food additives, followed by a higher cure rate compared to the same composition without the allulose particles smelting the mixture to obtain a composition having mixing crystalline allulose particles and optionally an aqueous allulose syrup with a molten gum base and one or more food additives to obtain a chewing gum composition, wherein the allulose particles have an average size greater than 45 μm and less than 250 μm; A process for making chewing gum having a particle size, wherein at least 90% by weight of the allulose particles are passed through a sieve having openings of at most 250 μm.